March 31, 2006

I used to do a lot of little pen and ink drawings embellished with watercolor. I decided this year I would do that again on a regular weekly basis. Here is one of the first drawings I did this year. Hopeful for spring, even in January, I made this little illustration. It looks like spring to me!

The word for the day is ... revisit ... as in a book that you loved, a friendship needing rekindling, and a method you have set aside for a while.

March 30, 2006

I found out about this colorful project through Jan over at be*mused. I like the idea of working with color as a springboard. I like the way you can use any medium for the project. I really like be*mused too, so go on over and take a peek. She has a lot to offer!

I finished this in March so it is my Red and Pink entry for the project but most of all, I used up all that was left over from my winter feelings here too. Yea! Spring has arrived!

They arrived! Yesterday we got the package at artstream of Claudine's original collages. Let me tell you, the internet per usual with art work does nothing for the work, except show you an idea of it. The pieces are rich with color, texture, text and depth.Claudineis an artist who is well known around the USA and abroad. She has published books on her art and has been guests of HGTV, Diva Craft Lounge, and craft lab, DYI just to name a few. All of her accomplishments aside, her work speaks to me with a certain whimsy, a touch of sadness and of course in most of her pieces, humor. Yes in this ultra serious world of art we can still have humor. Currently we have six of her original pieces in the gallery. I will post them at our site herein her own little gallery page, later today so you can see them all! When Claudine is through teaching at ArtFest out in the state of Washington, she will be sending us some sketches as well. We are thrilled to have her work in the gallery.

The word for the day is ... experiment ... with a new idea, three art media you didn't think would work together, or with a new way of looking at the world!

March 29, 2006

I am thinking about a new functional piece of furniture in my home studio. This "Say Cheese" cabinet gives the spunk and fun I want with the ability to hold some serious amounts of stuff with style. While browsing their website, I also fell in love with this coffee table ... I think it is timeless, yet so today.Go look ... it is really a treat! The company is full of modern, sleek design furniture which completely tickles my fancy! Not for everyone, but with the ecclectic mix of things in my home, I can just see this being a subtle focal point!

It's spring, it is getting warmer here in NH so I thought I would show you one of Dusty's flower power paintings. " Dutch Waltz"it is called. (she also has a wonderful way with titles) Dusty paints these mammoth (4 feet by 3 feet) beauties on watercolor paper and then mounts them to a wooden support which is about 2.5 inches thick. They stand out from the wall and have a UV coating as to keep them from harm. Lovely! Watercolor without the glass! Below is another shot of the wall in our gallery during the exhibition of this work just to give you an idea of scale. It is truly a wonder to walk in Dustan's flower garden. Stop by this summer for another peek at a few of her works in our "Colours of Summer" exhibition. Or stop by to take a summer painting workshop with her as well at artstream. Rumor has it that she is a whole lot of fun as an instructor as well as a really nice person!

The word for the day is ... bloom ... as in your personal growth, your garden and Bloom county! ( I miss that so much!)

Thankful Tuesday.I am thankful for so many people in my life.You know who you are ...

Jane is one of them too. She gave Rainer and me this jester when we were looking around for a house to buy to make our home. It was a good luck charm. It worked. I think it is a good icon also for our lives. We juggle the many things which make up our day. Keeping all of the balls in the air so nobody feels "dropped" and like the Jester, we try to do it with a sense of humor and a smile in our heart. Some days are easier than others to accomplish this life task. Others the balls just go whizzing by too quickly. But when the rhythm is just right, the balance of things just so, you realize you had it in you all the time. And there were those people you were so thankful for, helping making it all happen, seemingly, so easily. Thank you.

The word for the day is ... capitulate ... as in ending the resistance, negotiating and to yield.

March 27, 2006

More of Cilla's bugs! SO many people wanted to see moreof Cilla Dilla's bugs so they have landed at our portfolio site: step over here for a fix of bugs...they are flying away fast ...p.s. Even though it is spring, here in NH we have nothing but cold ground. No green, nor a speck of crocus to be found. So a detail of my poppy painting will replace my own garden banner until something pokes its lazy head up!

Linda Calder, president of New England Fine Living,couldn't believe how many wonderful shops and serviceswere so close at hand until she got referrals from friends or found them herself, while searching for products for her interior design clients.Linda, who used to create her own tradeshows to help other business owners market themsleves to the public, decided to create New England Fine Living.com. It is an on-line portal for consumers to learn more about these great businesses. "As a lifelong resident of Massachusetts, I want to help women find these wonderful businesses without having to drive around looking for them, as I did." Now she is sharing that with her new friends online. Their focus will be showcasing quality products and services in a fun and refreshing way. After speaking with Linda late last week, I thought you all should know about her new service. It will be great for those of us who like to preshop or at least get ideas before traveling. With our need to conserve even more these days with gasoline, it is also ecologically sound. Linda has a category for most everything, including art galleries and I think it is wonderful that a woman in this area is putting together a resource for people to use in our own area! Good Luck Linda!

The word for the day is ... develop ... like your ideas, your portfolio of work and your muscles!

March 25, 2006

Mitchell RosenzweigBlue Cloud

oil 38" by 48"

This painting is on exhibition now at the gallery.It is a stunning piece with all of the atmospheric qualities of the land which he is painting about ... New Mexico.For more information on Mitchell you can visit his web site here or drop us a line. We would love to chat with you about his work.

The Art of Coffee and other table still life ... (more to come)I guess you could call me a fanatic about coffee. I like it pressed, not perked, I like it with milk, not cream, I like to make little drawings in my sketch book at the table, and I like my collection of coffee spoons in their pressed glass container.I like our little piggy salt shaker watching me draw.What do you like with your coffee?

The word of the day is ... delight ... as in the little things in life, the art of living, and that twinkle in that special someone's eye.

March 23, 2006

Self-Portrait byLael Dalal, emerging artist

I love this hand colored photograph taken by one of my former students, Lael. She has gone off to art school now and heading for big things I imagine!She was in our "Emerging artists and their Mentors" exhibition last May with this piece and it sold almost immediately! Each year we do this for NH and ME and northern MA high school juniors and seniors. The work is stunning, sells well and allows young students to go through the prospectus/jury process of a gallery. Why do we do this? Because I would have liked that when I was in high school. Because I believe in young people's art. Because both children and young adults have made art that belongs on gallery walls and not just the refrigerator door! Come see what the newest, freshest, hip minds have to say this May 12, 2006 from 5:30 -7:30 at artstream!

The word for the day is ... shine ... like the sun, your fairy wand and the toes of your shoes!

March 22, 2006

Go to a Museum!One of the 10 best kept secret museums in the world (ARTNEWS said a couple of years ago) is the Insel Hombroich near the lovely city of Dusseldorf, Germany. I have been twice now and can not wait to go again. It defies explanation, but I will try.It is a series of beautifully designed buildings set into many acres of conservation land complete with gardens, ponds and of course the rivers around it making it the Insel or island that it is. It also houses some sculptors, one which we met working on his carved stone sculptures lining a pathway. Here I am looking at one of the larger pieces on display in it's own building made just for Norbert Tadeusz's Pause I and Pause II. In another building there are pencil drawings and etchings from Cezanne, Klimt, and a dozen more, unmarked, carefully placed works in a room which being a triangle ends in a point. There are beautiful ancient Nordic carvings alongside fabulous original Bauhaus furniture and textiles, which are next to ancient Asian stone carved goddesses. The collection of Calder stabiles is astounding. There are no guards watching your every move, no name tags to inform you of the works. It is a challenge for you. No, it is not a game, it is less distracting for you ... tt engages all of your senses at one time , by walking over rivers on Japanese foot bridges. Passing then, through beautiful blooming hydrangea gardens to a small grove of trees which bend down to the ground. They wait for you with tiny bistro tables to take your wine or tea at underneath the boughs. Simple and perfect! Want to see more photos? You may come over to my house and I will bore you for hours, or click here for their site of the shorter version! Ja, ja it is in German, but you can manage the little orange arrows to scroll! Then just get a ticket and go! This is a real destination.

The word for the evening is ... content ... like a walk in the woods to find art, a fine feeling after a good day of work, or a nice cozy relationship.

March 21, 2006

Just another little piece of me out there in the world...This was a monotype I did in 2000, entitled "Blizzard"In the original, the ink I used was silver and black. It was depicting a full blown blizzard from history, when they tied ropes from house to barn to find their way to tend to the livestock and not wander out into storm.Due to the nature of this book, being about Rwanda, they asked permission to recolor it to a pool- like turquoise. (most likely to loose the blizzard look ... )

I was more than thrilled to accommodate them as they were reprinting the original version inside with my name as well. It was a great experience which I owe all to Agnes! Merci beaucoup ma petite chou! The book went into 8 editions and was a big hit for this French Canadian author. I was happy to be part of it all and so glad the book was a really good read as well.

The word for the evening is ... enchanted ... as in this evening and the ones we've spent with Agnes and Frederic.

Inspired by the INS and photos taken to prove to them that my German husband and I are a couple.A couple of whats?

These were personal art pieces created with layers and layers of paint, papers from resturants we frequented both here and in Europe, prints from relief stamps I have made, and photo transfers of the photocopied pictures we had to send to the INS - all collaged into these two panels.

Sadly the internet and photos do nothing for this form of art work, but you get the idea ... we are a couple!

The word for the day is ... sociable ... as in Chloe's favorite spelling word, two friends over coffee, and how we feel when you drop by the gallery for a bit!

March 20, 2006

Cynthia Designs beanies for girls

Getting ready here for the Art to Wear/Home Decor show on April 15th at artstream!We are so excited ... These little beanies are the answer to your favorite girl NOT wearing those old baseball caps. Cute, but cool, hip yet still soft, they really are one of a kind. They come in every color and combination you can think of. They are $23. We can ship worldwide from artstream, so drop us a note if you want one. Each one made by Cynthia. Queen of cool in Dover, NH. Making statements all over the Seacoast. She is our poster child for the upcoming show. Each beanie comes with a coordinating fabric covered button right at the top of the head. They are fully self lined. The one on the left is cotton and cotton/lycra and the one on the right is silk and cotton.

Brooke and Chloe thought they were a lot of fun. Don't you?

The word for the day is ... opportunity ... as in don't miss it, a good old Joan Armadrading song and wait! ... do I hear it knocking?

March 19, 2006

Meghan Samsonsculptor"A collection of distressed confessions"

28" in Diameter 5" highpit fired stoneware clay with wire

Meghan studied abroad in Ascoli Pacino Italy with Scott Schneph and Grant Drumheller in 2004 in addition to receiving her BFA in Sculpture and Ceramics in 2005. She is an emerging artist who has already received recognition with a scholarship to study sculpture at the famed Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village Colorado studying with Rick Parsons and Linda Benglis. We have had her work in a very successful exhibition last September with Judith Heller Casssell and the response was overwhelming. She has a statement to go with her art and I would like to share it with you.My work is inspired primarily by nature and how my personal experience relates to the visual language of nature. I am fascinated by the metaphoric qualities found in organic forms. The way a root will pierce through the soft earth, and how the ground opens up and peels back around that. The beauty of a rotting tree that is decomposing and transforming into its surroundings. When lightening burns through a tree, splitting it and exposing its inside. These are images that convey such strong emotion much like humans experience. I also am interested in organ-like forms for the same reasons. These things that live inside of us which are all kept neatly packaged up beneath our skins. Yet they too, like the Earth, are part of a complicated working system which can be damaged, and sutured, split open and exposed and pierced through both metaphorically, and physically. I relate my experiences with this imagery in my work, because I believe that the visual language of art can sometimes be stronger than words themselves.

Meghan's work packs a visual punch and yet there is something so very real about it that it feels quite at home in my home. I have two works of hers hanging from their fire pit blackened wires right next to me each day when I work on my computer. They are part of my black and white wall which I will show you another day. They are inspiring and honest. Just like Meghan. She also works her sculptures out first in little engravings and creates prints from them. We have been carrying them at the gallery and I just love them.If you want to catch a little more of Meghan's work she has been making large decorative ceramic vessels for our upcoming Art to Wear/Home Decor show on April 15th at artstream. Her sister, Katie, who is an interior design student in Boston is bringing along her goodies too! Don't miss it!The word for the day is ... delight ... as in something sweet, a surprise visit from a friend, and a good feeling inside.

March 18, 2006

Davis Studios

an inspired place settinga beautiful table.

Mary Anne Davis (aka MAD)a potter for 30 years is whipping up our order of seed and pod vases to debut here at artstream next month. Mary Anne posted this on her own blog and when I saw it I thought that hmmm, can I actually wait for these to arrive.She assured me that her porcelain was being cast and that she would send process photos in the studio. Which will be just perfect for the Show and Tell Tuesday! (and my jumpiness waiting to get the beautiful vases!)Mary Anne is a potter who has been down the road and back having sold to Neiman Marcus and being featured on their catalog cover to smaller shops like ours and never missing a beat. Her focus now is more on celebrating the small, special things in life - go see her work at davis studio site and her views at her modern table art blog. We both share a similar vision on art, the world and living. I am so pleased to have made her aquaintence here in the blogsphere. And we can not wait to see our new sculptural vases from her appear on our doorstep! You too, can design an entire set of tableware from her vast array of colors and patterns, making your table a true work of art as well.

The word for the day is ... savor ... as in a good cup of coffee, life in the everyday, and all that you already have.

March 17, 2006

FabulousStationery by Trish DemasiI found Trish's company while stumbling one day on the internet and was intrigued. Her designs were vast and fun and reminded me of the importance of a handwritten letter. Trish is a partner and creative director for Impax Marketing Group in Philadelphia who began as a graphic designer. With two other partners Fabulous Stationery was born starting with 5 designs. They now have over 300 which, Trish has created. She crafts and paints as well and likes to make most anything from handbags to pillows and jewelry to clothing and collecting vintage fabric and garments for later use. Sometime soon they are going to expand the line with home and fashion items in the same style as the note cards, so this will all come in handy! She oversees every personalized order, which by the way you can have anything you wish imprinted with their designs, and makes sure everything is just perfect before the sendout to you. I like these dandelion cards as they seem to say "happy spring" in a fashionable way to me.. how about you? The circles design under the art category spoke to me as well. What did it say you ask? Ahem, I think it said, buy me!The word for the day is ... communicate ... as in listen first, don't forget to write and keep in touch.

March 15, 2006

Dem bugsThe butterflies, moths and bugsof Cilla Stiles

Cilla is one of the most multitalented artists I know. She can sew anything, paint, dye, knit, batik, draw, most anything -- even make the prettiest and yummiest California rolls ever!Her new home is the single most stunning home I have ever been in. It captures who the family is and visually entices you to poke into every room for more. It is a display of both Cilla and her husband Phil's work. Phil is a photographer and we will look at some of his work another day. (Sorry Phil! This is about Cilla!) ...Cilla creates things in series until she is bored and starts another project.Her big ideas now relate to the natural world. Starting with the insects, moving through the fish and what they eat - fly category manifesting itself in a line of handbags which she will be marketing the patterns. Larger mammals and their ancient remains is in the development stages at the moment too.Her framed miniature sculptures of butterflies will be on display soon at artstream's art to wear/home decor show. Here is a shot I took of Cilla in her studio a couple of weekends ago when we went to examine her bug collection and have a Sunday brunch. (Yes, that IS a shocking pink headless soft sculpture lady reclining behind her on the left which she made).Each one of these beauties hangs in hand painted frames she has made and sealed with georgeous art papers on the back. They are wonderful as one, a pair of two, or as Ulla was talking about yesterday in her blog, three make a group. Cilla has an entire small wall in her spacious entryway/hallway filled with a grouping of her more insect/moth like pieces. They are part of her impeccable collection of unique furniture, rugs, and art which Cilla has designed her home around. Cilla is an accomplished artist, fabulous cook, (I think I owe her no less than four meals ...) and wonderful friend.

****addition**** I have already received emails about where to buy these bugs ... you can do so from us at artstream. They range from $75 -$120. I will post (as soon as they come through the door) a photo montage at my typepad site for purchase. We ship worldwide. Most likely she will be by later this week so I will get right on it!

The word for the day is ... imagine ... like bugs for art, world peace and everyone having the job they really enjoyed.

March 14, 2006

Show and Tell Tuesday

Sneek peek into one wall of my home studio. You may have already seen artstream and our studio working spaces there, but here is where I do the bulk of my painting. I leave the clay and collage at artstream.

The weather has been so spring like in New England that I was inspired to work on some new pieces. Here you see five of the seven canvases I started last weekend during our "heat wave". My studio space at home is south facing and when it is sunny out, look out. Happiness everywhere. I have been so inspired by the weather that I have begun a series of floral inspired abstracts. Something which doesn't usually move me too much. But oh my. 50F weather in New England in March will inspire the coldest heart. So I have three poppies in the garden series, three poppies in the snow series and one large scale squash blossom canvas. I love the deep canvases as the painting can just wrap around for another 2.5 inches and no frames to distract or afford. These are works in progress, but I am enjoying the vibrant color (and my husband is so very happy that I am off of the umbers and ochres for the moment ... ) as well as the all important creative process. I paint most every day and include my family in the process. My two daughters have space in this room to create as we have always done that together. Yes, it is a big room so our spaces are our own but they are under one ceiling so we can work together. I will post the finished works at my typepad site when they are completed and photographed.

It would be nice to have a show and tell every Tuesday.Won't you send me photos of your space? Where you craft, create, draw, illustrate, write, dream and deliver yourself ?

The word for the day is ... refresh ... as in a brisk walk, a cool glass of white wine, and your browser.

March 13, 2006

... more inspiration...Today in New England we have lovely spring like weather. I am very thankful for this. I love seeing my garden appear and the promise of the outdoor living area opening. It has been thawing and warming, in a way, we who live here almost forget after our frigid temps.So this photo of course inspired me...When I came across this fabulous tub I just had to share. Do you know Dutchtub? I didn't. But I would like to get to know them ... in my own back garden!

When you go browse their site you will see how easy it is to install one, take it with you, (they show one on top of a stationwagon).It seems all you have to do is: 1. Fill it 2. Stoke the wood fire in the coil 3. Add friends!This works for me .... how about you? Mmmmmmmmm. I can almost see it in my garden, in blue however though! It is sculpture and function all wrapped into one yummy package. Dive in!

The word for the day is ... thaw ... as in March in New England, your cold, cold heart, and those strawberries you picked awhile back.

Monday interview with the ArtistI spoke with Erik late last week about doing a quick interview with him and here are the results below. Erik is one of the four artists in our "Composite Memories" exhibit at artstream currently. This is his second show with us in the main gallery and we love what he does. For more information on Erik give us a shout at artstream.

AE: How did you get started in art?EB: Paper plates and crayons--1969.What did you draw as a child? Buildings, Race cars, animals.

AE: When did you know you had talent and a craving to just do art? EB: When I was a kid. I won a lot of awards for art back then. Same deal in High School and College.

AE:What media do you prefer to work in?EB: Wood, metal & paint.

AE:Name three influences of your work?EB: Greg Miller, Robert Rauschenberg, Jack DangersAE: How do you come up with themes?EB: Not too sure. I guess whatever interests me, and if I can build a series from it.

AE: If you were on a desert island and could only take three art supplies, what would they be? EB: Don't know. Maybe I would just take up sand castle building, so sand shovels and such. Maybe a Doodle pro, and a wood carver's knife also.

How sensible! Thank you to Erik for the permission to use the image of Rocket.

March 11, 2006

I just love these photos of Jenn and her knitted wonders... Her work in knitting and felting will be for sale at our upcoming "Art to Wear/Home Decor" show on April 15, 2005.She is standing before the painting she purchased last summer in our Poet to Artists Project - Ekphrastic Art I. It is by Mihee Yeom entitled "Reflections" Jennifer created a poem about it and purchased the art as well. In turn she has created a new poem for the second part of our series in which the poets (25 of them) have created a poem to submit to a roundtable of artists (25 of them) and the visual artists are now working through the year to make an art piece inspired by the poem of their choosing. The exhibition for this work will be in September of this year at artstream. It is most exciting to have literary arts and visual arts collide and collaborate in this fashion. Click through here for more photos of the actual reading and reception of the first stage of the project. It may have another facet of artistic interpretation involved - but that is still in the planning stages. This project is a joint effort between artstream and the Poets Society of NH. We are pleased to continue to be collaborating with artists of all kinds in our community at artstream through our special events and projects. We are also thankful for kind, intelligent, and crafty women like Jennifer White in our midst! See below for a few more samples of her work.

The word for the day is ... multifaceted ... like Jennifer White, a beautiful gemstone and life.

** below I have added the poem that Jennifer emailed me from the Ekphrastic Art I project:Please do not reprint this without our permission. Thank you!

Lovesong for my Husband’s Feet and the Home I’ve Only Visited:(after Mihee Yeom’s Reflection I in Oil)

In the end, this is what I reflected upon:we are where we’ve come from,even if we’ve left that place,lost the accent, and somehow managedto rise from the ash pile of our teenage lives.

For instance, Claude grew up on a hopeless farm in Mainewhere a bare-footed boy risked accidental amputationif he ventured past the perimeter of his attic mattress.

The legacy of all the rusty nails and glassis that each night without fail he neatly alignshis dependable shoes on the floor beside our bed.While he sleeps they patiently awaitthe arrival of morning and their precious chargeslike a pair of loyal dogs standing guarduntil their beloved master’s return.

If he must be bare-foot, he tip-toes uncomfortably,wincing and warning us girls while we scamperwithout a care over gravel or pebbles or roots.Shaking his head, he will say “I told you so”if I stub my toe, or if one daughter or the othergets a splinter. How can I respond? He’s right.We’re terribly reckless, but it’s a risk we’re willing to take.Know this: the invention of water-shoeschanged my husband’s life. It’s a wonderhe doesn’t wear them in the shower.

All of this reflecting came after I saw the painting.I saw the painting after I’d been in New York City,when its spell was fresh and I still giddily saw the worldthrough my love-sick New York lenses: that citymakes me dizzy with possibility—life, love, yes, this;it lays its soul at my feet and it offers salvationlike the last golden ticket or two exquisite melt-proofwings of wax or the iridescent hummingbirds flittingamong the lilacs of my lonesome childhood window,or my husband, with his unblistered, uncalloused,perfect feet like delicate pearl-pink shellswrapped protectively in opaque origami paper.

I told myself I should see a pastoral waterscape—a scene in Central Park or even Monet’s Waterlilies—in the painting. How cliche. I hate cliches.What I tried to suppress in the explosion of coloron canvas was the unlikely image of Times Square:Manahattan’s ripest and most tempting fruit,equal parts neon and electric humanity;equal parts nectar and poison,equally capable of enabling graceor perpetuating a fall from it.

I hate to be wrong even more than cliches,and—look at it—there is no steel grayand metallic black in Reflection.There is no repetion of vertical linesand forms, no negative space.There is no blaring din, no throng, no cruelty.

Of course, it’s a figure and its reflection in a mirror.One of them has a heart of yellow heat.That one is the sun at the center of their universe.They are separated by a gulf of blue.They are together and apart.For me, it’s all about urgency.Legitimacy. Fear of failure. Fear of loss.It’s about purity and shame.That’s where I’m from.

March 10, 2006

Mitchelle Rosenzweig"golden maples" pastel 11x14

This is one of the breathtaking small works of Mitchell Rosenzweig which we have on exhibit right now at artstream. Mitch is an accomplished artist who is a master with color. His work is complex with color and simple with line. It informs the viewer the atmospheric conditions of the location which Mitchell has chosen to represent. Mitchell lives part time in three places and his paintngs express this - New Hampshire, New Jersey, and New Mexico. Below is "Rolling Cloud" in oil. This work is 38"x48" and fills the room with a sense of calm. It picks you up and takes you to a hillside and lets you savor the sky. Mitchell also makes films and sculpture. He had a beautiful exhibit in 2002 at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art with Wolf Kahn. He won an award at last year's filmstream for audience pick for best film. His work has been shown nationwide and currently you can stop by artstream and view some of his best work to date ... through the end of April.

The word for the day is ... drizzle ... as in a thin icing, a layer of paint, or a soft spring rain.

March 09, 2006

Mary Ellen McKeen, artistME works in encaustic, paint, graphite powder, dirt, oil, paper, ink, etching, what have you, to create some of the most ethereal works you will find anywhere. Mary Ellen received her BFA from the University of NH and has lived in Italy for many years, studying art there as well.She has worked in large scale oils, to tiny encaustic pieces more recently due to a spinal injury.Her spunk and wit is as sharp as the shade of red of her hair. Here are two encaustic works which have been shown at Women Made Gallery in Chicago.This tiny work is 5 inches square and part of the "Slug Love" series. Mary Ellen and I traded some work recently and the encaustic piece I acquired from her is below entitled Degenerate I. It is one in a series of spinal related works from Mary Ellen. Art can heal. It is 12"x12" and the photograph is not telling of its luminance or depth. Encaustic (wax) is hard to photograph well so you will just have to seek it out to see what is really going on with the work. It has a thickness and sculptural like feel to it with a smooth glossy finish. It is difficult and tedious to work with, but Mary Ellen embraces the labor of love with a dedication and sincere patience that few have for the medium.She carves into the work like a sculptor and paints on the pigment like a painter.

Mary Ellen McKeen, portrait of an artist.She is currently moving to the Rochester area, so she has no new work to view at this time. Stay tuned, she will be back soon.

The word for the day is ... enrobe ... like a veloute sauce, a layer of wax or a sensation of accomplishment.

It is another designer for Art Esprit today!In the quest for all things beautiful and intriguing, (and thinking about our home and its furnishings), I stumbled over these two designers Anna-Katriina Tilli & Mari Relander. Their company name is Perhonen which means butterfly, and they work in Finland. Their Anemone table won the “best in furniture”category in the Elle Decoration UK Furniture Awards 2003. Their work is represented by a small design manufacturer called Selki-Station. I was fascinated by Selki-Station's renovation to their building (circa 1875) as we too at artstream renovated our design/gallery studios from an old building (circa 1902). Selki-Station houses some innovative designers and Anna-Katriina and Mari have some of the most functionally beautiful pieces I have ever seen. The lamp above and the table beside use an interesting twist of old and new forms ... lace and glass. I love this look for two reasons. It speaks to the romantic in me as well as the contemporary part of me. It will look fresh today and ten years from now - after all the trendy swirling trash of the rehashed '60s is gone. When I buy something for my home, I embrace it to become a part of my daily artistic inspiration, my family's memories and the fabric of our daily existence. These lamps would fit nicely in the eclectic mix of my home. How about yours?

The word for the day is ... illuminate ... like a beautiful lamp, an ancient manuscript and learning something wonderful which you didn't know before.

March 07, 2006

The Heat Wave

Is it art? Is it good design? What does it do ... hang there and look amazing or what? Well, wonder no more. This amazing wall radiator is art and function at it's best. What could be better for us living in the cooler climates than something so beautiful and warm as this? Bonus time for the summer months as well, it is just as beautiful when it is turned OFF!It is not a new design as it was introduced in 2003, but for the first time it is now for sale on the consumer market. Droog Design has taken the Heat Wave into production and has further developed the design. The electrical version of the radiator was presented for the first time at the Droog's stand at the Ambiente. This fair took place from 10 to 14 February 2006 in Frankfurt, Germany .The radiator Heat Wave proves that decoration and functionality do not have to be mutually exclusive. For a good heat exchange one needs a large surface area. It is exactly this which is provided by the baroque - like design.Joris Laarman has succeeded in finding a style which couldn't be further from pure functionalism: he designed an apparently functionless decorative object, which in reality is a perfectly functional heater. Heat Wave is a modular radiator, made of concrete and aluminum consolidated by glass fiber, that, starting off with 4 basic elements, can be extended as one pleases. It can go around corners magnificently!No, artstream is not going to carry radiators, but we would recommend speaking with your heating people about this one! Is it fine art? No. Is it truly great design? Yes!

The word for the day is ... graceful ... like a manner of speaking, your dance step or your radiator!

March 06, 2006

Emma CassiUK Jewelry Designer

With our upcoming art to wear/home design show at artstream, I have been on the prowl for all things stunning. On my journey I found this amazing designer who creates ultra romantic jewelry. She creates them from vintage French lace.Her work is all done by hand one at a time, with vintage lace, glass beads, sequins, ribbons, tassels and trims. Stunning. Just take a browse through her website, Emma Cassi, if you haven't already seen her art. You can purchase the handmade items right from the site so they will be winging their way to you in no time. And just in time for spring - the season of love! Make sure you stop by her inspirations page too, it is full of surprising images, which, in their collage format, are informing the mood for my day - today!

The word for the day is ... elegant ... as in a swan's neck, a perfectly set table, and you wearing just the right accessory!